Madeleine McCann was raped, murdered and her body dumped in a remote reservoir within 48 hours of her disappearance, a Portuguese lawyer has claimed.

Marcos Correia said his information came from the underworld on May 6 - three days after she vanished.

But he claims police failed to act because they believed her parents Kate and Gerry were involved.

The McCanns' private detective agency Metodo 3 is now investigating. Mr Correia fears a paedophile ring abducted Madeleine, four, and dumped her in the Barragem do Arade reservoir, near Silves, 40 miles from Praia da Luz where the family stayed.

He said: "The description I was given corresponds with the place perfectly." In October police combed the Reservoir da Brevura, 15 miles from Praia da Luz, for Madeleine. Metodo 3 is also probing a sighting in Silves on May 5 of a woman, said to look like suspect Robert Murat's girlfriend Michaela Walczuch, handing a child to a man.

Mr Correia said police also told him they think Madeleine may have been switched from one car to another in Silves.

The McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "The matter is in the hands of our investigators."

British gardener Dan Groom, 30, quizzed by cops over Madeleine's disappearance, said he is the victim of a "smear campaign" after an anonymous email was sent to police.